From structure to dynamics and back: The interplay between topology and activity in brain networks.

Abstract

The brain is an enormously complex network of neurons and supporting cells. The topological structure of these neuronal networks form the basis for learning, memory, cognition, and every other function. In return, those same functions persistently alter the network structure of the brain. Accordingly, the dynamics of these neurons are deeply intertwined with the structure and small changes in the dynamics can have a significant effect on structure. In this dissertation I investigate how the network topology affects the dynamics and how the dynamics affect the neuronal network topology. Chapter II investigates the gap-junctional networks of the brain and how the local topology radically changes the spatio-temporal dynamics. Chapter III studies the interaction between oscillatory currents and a heterogeneous network structure. Finally Chapter IV covers how a resonance induced neuronal dynamic can stabilize the spatio-temporal patterning of activity thus enhancing learning via spike-timing dependent plasticity.